My organizing fellowship

August 29, 2012

“I was sitting in my Brooklyn apartment in May scrolling through Google News when I came upon an article about the likelihood of the Supreme Court reversing President Obama's health care law. As someone who's had plenty of trouble getting affordable insurance based on pre-existing conditions, this was the last straw. I had to show my support for President Obama's hard work.

“I logged on to barackobama.com thinking I would find a phone bank nearby or maybe knock on a door or two. I ended up becoming an Organizing for America-Minnesota summer fellow and moving to Minneapolis 10 days later.

“The Organizing Fellowship has proved to me how much of a difference one person can make. This summer I've had the opportunity to register new voters, talk with undecided voters, and recruit first-time volunteers who had never turned their political beliefs into political action before.

“My best moment volunteering for the campaign came when I was canvassing with a very nervous volunteer. I was standing next to her as she got her first ‘Commit to Vote’ card signed. As soon as the pen hit the card, she burst out smiling—‘Oh my God, you're my first sign-up! Thanks so much!’ I thought she was going to give the woman a hug.

“We should all be that fired up about getting supporters for the President.

“Before I started working with our incredibly knowledgeable, motivated, and enthusiastic campaign team, I was just as nervous as this volunteer had been. But thousands of phone calls and door knocks later, I’m having a fantastic time and making a big impact for the campaign.

“If you're thinking about applying to be a fellow, you should. Rarely can you learn so much, so fast, and be able to put your skills to work immediately on something you feel this strongly about.”